Is your child thinking about their future career? Q&A with Specsavers and expert optometrist

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THIS Q&A IS NOW CLOSED. VIEW LUCY AND HUSSNAN'S ANSWERS HERE.

Is your child thinking about what to do next? If they are interested in STEM subjects or healthcare, have they considered optometry? Specsavers is offering 40 students the chance to receive a £10,000 scholarship to study optometry at university. To help with this difficult life decision we’ve invited two Specsavers’ experts to answer your questions on a career in optometry, and the university scholarship.

• Post your questions on the thread below.
• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by 21/10 will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 voucher
• Our expert will be back in a few weeks to answer some of your questions

Hussnan Ejaz
Hussnan is an Ophthalmic Director at Specsavers. He joined the company in 2009 on a work experience placement before becoming an Optical Assistant, then qualifying as an Optometrist in 2015. He is now a director in the same Dudley practice, as well as a director of the Blackheath practice and Dudley hear care. Hussnan currently runs a team of 12 optometrists and regularly supervises trainee clinicians. He completed his professional certificate in Medical Retina and Glaucoma in 2022, is a WOPEC assessor and acts as a facilitator for the Specsavers pre reg academy. Hussnan is an enthusiastic advocate for promoting Optometry and continually developing himself and optometrist colleagues professionally.

Lucy Knock
Lucy is the Early Talent Lead for Specsavers. Her role involves raising the profile of optometry amongst young people, teachers and parents, and encouraging grass roots optometry development in local communities. She works with schools, universities, Education Business Partnerships and optometry leaders to engage young people and showcase the amazing breadth of opportunity a career in optometry can offer. Lucy’s background is teaching and youth engagement, developing programmes for hard-to-reach audiences in a range of settings. She graduated in 2001 with a first class honours degree from the University of Leicester, studied secondary history education gaining a PGCE (2003) and a Masters in 2005.

Here’s what Specsavers has to say:
"We understand the careers landscape can often be a noisy and overwhelming place for teenagers and their parents and carers. We wanted to share the exciting opportunities a clinical career with Specsavers offers, but since Optometry is an often-overlooked path, we knew we had to do something new and bold! The Bright Stars Scholarship is an industry leading programme and encourages people to consider optometry when choosing their next steps."

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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Tbh this wouldn’t have occurred to me - I’d have thought of it as more of a healthcare role than stem, is that the case? Thanks in advance

My Son needs glasses but wants to be a pilot, is it possible?

It would be a great career - however what exam grades, and to what level (A levels or above) to get onto the programme ?

my question is ‘will Optometrists become obsolete due to AI?’ Thanks

My duaghter was interested (science student) but is it right that to progress you need to basically buy your own business. We don't have financial backing for thatm

I'm interested to hear about the types of jobs people go into after studying optometry at Uni. What career pathways are there other than the obvious high street optician route?

Which of the sciences would you recommend taking at A level to stand the best chance of being accepted ?

What would the scholarship entail? Does the candidate need to be starting University in 2025? Thanks.

How long is the course, and is there an option to study further in the same field, to become a specialist, eg.

Are there any plans to bring Optometry to more universities across the country? I'd be interested in re-training but from my home in the southeast, none of the universities currently offering it are commutable.

I think this would be a good career, would you be able to move from Specsavers after qualifying, if so how long would the student need to stay before paying fees back ? Can the qualification be used for example in a hospital setting ?

Yes that was my other fear. I have a daughter considering non medical degrees but will get high grades for science courses would this restrict her career wise?

I was also surprised it's a small number of unis so for example the Russell group near me that does medicine /OT/etc doesn't offer it.

And finally! I could see any postgraduate routes. Is that correct? For example if my duaghter does a physics degree or biosicences can they not train as an optometrist?

Optometry would be a second, separate degree after another science degree.

It’s generally a decent career and can be flexible but very much dependent on where you work and what sales pressure you may or may not be under.

Hospital optometry is one career path but generally not as well paid as high street roles.

I think AI will come to be helpful within the field (for diagnosis of disease etc) but I think it would be very difficult for AI to replace the role completely.

Most people from my course became opticians but quite a few left the profession after a few years to do different things.

@Bedbugdilemma you'll get better answers from the guests I'm sure but just for added perspective - two of my relatives are optoms. One has bought a franchise, but the other has done a combination of work at chains, work at independent optometrists, hospital optometry and university teaching. He says you can make a fair bit from locum work too. Does well and has no plans to buy a franchise.

My DD loves human biology and sciences, and is looking to work in healthcare doctor/dentist or optometrist, a £10,000 scholarship sounds generous, but what does the total cost of the course total, I am guessing 10k would really help, but a student loan would pay for the remainder ? Would the 10k be paid in instalments over the course?

Well my daughter just graduated in a STEM degree from Uni but is having a nightmare finding jobs in STEM. Whilst Optometry might be for some interested in medical jobs it’s not a role for anyone in STEM

Your child may not have the same interests as you, their ideas of what they want to be will likely change a lot over their lifetime.

Why isn't it a stem choice? It looks it to me?

Optometry is an often-overlooked path - yes you're bang on.
It sounds like a career path which I would love to guide my DC's to - how long would you expect these bursarys to run for ? If the 40 don't work out - you may revisit this offer - on the other hand if the 40 prove a sucess, would you increase the numbers and for a longer term ?

Hmm is it still the expectation that purchasing a franchise is the way to progress then. As I think this ought to be made explicit at the outset. Optometry and business management...

As I'm sure that would appeal to a number of people but you don't have that expectation is most other stem/medical careers do you?

Wouldn’t advise any young person I know to go into optometry.
And certainly not handcuffed to specsavers.

Optometry is primarily a career in sales.

No they are not - but it's really worth thinking about - but my question would be around career progression - once you have qualified as an optometrist - what are the career prospects - is there supervisory managerial roles to aspire to ?

That is my fear for her 😞.

Options with optometry-
Buy into a franchise.
Buy your own practice.
There are routes into academia/research. There’s hospital optometry.
Most optometrists work in the high street though and the career path is non existent. Initial earnings seem high but are rapidly outstripped by other careers.
and it doesn’t travel easily either- no options to move to US/Canada/Australia/NZ without passing expensive exams or doing further qualifications.